A pair of scammers has been indicted for stealing from two elderly women while posing as chimney repairmen.

Riverhead, NY - September 3, 2014 - Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and Suffolk County Police Department Chief of Detectives William Madigan will announce today (9/3/2014) the indictment and arraignments of two men facing bias crime charges for allegedly burglarizing the homes of two elderly women in Suffolk County approximately two weeks ago.

Less than a week before entering a 92 year old woman’s home on Bieslin Road in Bellport on the premise they were performing a chimney inspection, the defendants, Bruce Wimmer, 32, of Bohemia and Michael Windland, 28, of Lake Ronkonkoma scammed a 77 year old Huntington woman by telling the victim that they were chimney repairmen and they needed to get into the house as part of an inspection.

Suffolk detectives have established the pair stole jewelry in the Huntington case from the victim’s bedroom.

It was a few days later in Bellport when Wimmer and Windland allegedly stole $160 cash, some of the money from church envelopes, as well as victim Violet Vetter’s prescription medication. The pair also quoted a price of $3000 for chimney work and offered to drive Ms. Vetter to her bank to withdraw the money.

Wimmer and Windland will be arraigned on the grand jury indictment today in Riverhead before Judge John Toomey. The calendar will be called at 9:30 am.